We may not know baseball, but we know election reform...
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Hi Friend,
It was MLB All-Star Week here in Denver! As someone who doesn’t avidly follow
baseball, I personally couldn’t tell you what All-Star week means or who won
what, but I do know that the All-Star game came to Colorado because of our
stellar voting rights record.
Because of Colorado’s vote at home system, we have among the highest turnout
in the country — while also having one of the most secure election systems.
The all stars might be on the field, but the real stars are still hard at work
to make our elections better. Here are three things to think about this week:
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The Primary Problem in Texas
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The Texas legislature has been in the news quite frequently over the last
week, as a showdown between Republicans and Democrats in the legislature
reaches a fever pitch. Voting rights are at the center of the conflict, but
driving the conflict?The Primary Problem
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This week, Texas Public Radio
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breaks down the Primary Problem in Texas, where veryfew voters are turning out
in the primaries that, more often than not, determine who will win the general
election. Boosting turnout may solve part of the problem, but an even bigger
boost: taking Texas’s open primary system to a nonpartisan one.
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learn from New York
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As Alaska voters prepare to vote for the first time using ranked choice
voting, taking a lesson or two from New York City’s (admittedly) somewhat messy
rollout could offer The Last Frontier solutions. Fundamentally, New York City
votersenjoyed the experience
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of using ranked choice voting in the recent June election, reporting that they
felt comfortable with the system and confident that they knew how to use it.
As Alaskans prepare for what is gearing up to be a critical US Senate
election, theAnchorage Daily News
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reflects the importance of voters, election administrators, and poll workers
being prepared and read-up on the new system. They write: “New York City’s
ranked-choice election was a success; so was Maine’s last fall. Alaska’s can
be, too — we just have to make sure to do our homework between now and November
2022.”
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Independent redistricting still matters
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Across the country, legislators are preparing to utilize the new census data
to draw maps for legislative redistricting (or gerrymandering, as it’s also
known). Some states, however, like Colorado have adopted independent
redistricting commissions to draw the maps instead, taking the power out of the
hands of self-interested politicians and putting it back in the hands of the
people.
This week, the Colorado Sun
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gave us an idea of how important that is — that people draw the maps instead of
politicians. In interviews with Democrats (who now control the chamber, and
therefore would have had a chance at drawing the maps) they expressed
disappointment and frustration that they were unable to gerrymander this year.
It’s a stark reminder: the ability for people to fairly choose their elected
officials is a vital component of our political system — and it’s corrupted
when elected officials are allowed to gerrymander. We must continue to demand
better and different from those in power to make sure that our voices are heard
and why we’re so grateful you’re a part of this work with Unite America.
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Brett
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Brett Maney
Senior Communications Manager
Unite America
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